Where are all the chicks

[unxetas]

didn't bloodhound gang have a video like that?

anyway.. I can't comment on this topic, I know just as many girls as I know boys shooting film.. err.. none.. I have never seen anyone else but me shoot Super8 on the streets of Portugal lol

[jean]

this will all change over time. Probably not within our lifetimes, and perhaps the pendulum will eventually swing back for a while, but as with racial discrimination there is no way back. Sexual discrimination has been so normal for I don't know how many 1000 years, so don't expect it to go away by itself in one or two generations.

About the IT industry, indeed women are complately accepted only as assistants. But in sales and customer relations it becomes "normal" to see a woman in charge. In technical specific jobs however they would not be tolerated neither by customers nor colleagues - yet. But see it in context, my grandmother witnessed a time where women were not allowed to vote.

It will take a while, both for women to claim access to the domains that are sill for men only, and for men to respect them there, but this will be impossible to stop, fortunately for all of us.

The one thing I don't buy is that they behave any different. As weasels, females may behave less obvious and aggressive at first sight, but they blow their strikes as deadly and precise as anyone else.

Filming certainly belongs to one of the male domains that will be hard to get through. I see them frequently in the administrative part, but when it comes to the tech stuff, it is male only. But then remember that it is not so long ago that a woman chose a male pseudonym to get her books printed and respected. These changes happen in centuries, not in decades.

In a book for homemovie-filmers there was a part where the (male) reader was encouraged to hand the camera to his wife (no singles back then) at least once, since it was so easy to operate and he'd get on the film with the kids for a change. The book is from the 50s, I'd say that things evolved quite good since then.

[Freya]

About the IT industry, indeed women are complately accepted only as assistants. But in sales and customer relations it becomes "normal" to see a woman in charge. In technical specific jobs however they would not be tolerated neither by customers nor colleagues - yet. But see it in context, my grandmother witnessed a time where women were not allowed to vote.

Customers are actually not so bad, although you definitely occasionally get some idiots especially if you work in technical support. It's actually colleagues and the general working environment that is really awful. You are right, sales, even technical sales is fine and I was talking more about development and the like.

Ironically, it used to be the other way around. The very first computer programmer was of course a woman and not so many years ago it was a largely female dominated proffesion. Probably much lower paid too. ;)

Not that women don't come and go over time these days too.
Sales is the way to go these days I think tho.

Filming certainly belongs to one of the male domains that will be hard to get through. I see them frequently in the administrative part, but when it comes to the tech stuff, it is male only. But then remember that it is not so long ago that a woman chose a male pseudonym to get her books printed and respected. These changes happen in centuries, not in decades.

Yeah, theres always things you can do anyway, Delia Derbyshire originally tried to get a job at Decca records but was told that they didn't employ women in the recording studio, so she went to work at the radiophonic workshop instead. You were only allowed to work there part time or something because they thought people would go insane. Anyway, she of course created the theme tune to Dr Who and the rest is history. Of course stuff like that is not so useful if your goal is more to earn a living than to do great creative things but there we go!

In a book for homemovie-filmers there was a part where the (male) reader was encouraged to hand the camera to his wife (no singles back then) at least once, since it was so easy to operate and he'd get on the film with the kids for a change. The book is from the 50s, I'd say that things evolved quite good since then.

Actually I don't think that's as bad as that blue book I mentioned that's fairly recent. Wish I had a copy to quote from because it was very much in the vein of the 50's book you mention! More funny actually in the sheer and total, without a thought, sexism of it!

Some things change, some things stay the same!

love

Freya

[aj]

One thing missing from this forum is lack of female super 8 users and film makers.

Is Super 8 a nerdy guy thing, or is it just talking about it on a forum too nerdy for females to join in?

I know from my own observation in the small gauge cineshop in Amsterdam which I frequent that about half of the customers is female (student mostly).

Seems like women are more oriented to using the things and getting some image on screens.

It also seems they select cameras by the look. I.e. space age babarella look or colors. It was even considered to start painting some models in pink, green or yellow.

[Freya]

It also seems they select cameras by the look. I.e. space age babarella look or colors. It was even considered to start painting some models in pink, green or yellow.

Neat! I was strangely just thinking how there aren't camcorders in nice colours and interesting designs! I think I was thinking about the marketing of computers and camcorders for some reason.

I have to confess that my first S8 camera is a space age Bell and Howell thing. I've still got it! It looks great as an accessory!

love

Freya

[moviemat]

In our little cine-club women outnumber men by about 2 to 1. If any generalisations can be made they often seem less confident and outspoken then go off and make the best films.

Mat

[Freya]

In our little cine-club women outnumber men by about 2 to 1. If any generalisations can be made they often seem less confident and outspoken then go off and make the best films.

Mat

It's definitely the way to go, stay away from trouble, and go and make your own films on your own terms! You make a great film nobody can argue with that!

In England at least, we have no film industry anyway, especially up't North, so you might as well work on your own films and leave the industry types to their nonsense.

It's great that you have a cine club in Newcastle! Is it strictly film or video too? Tell me more about it! Really suprised to hear about something like that. Sounds great!

love

Freya

[francis]

due to the women have been traditionally socialized, they have stayed away from mechanical type crafts. this has been changing ofcourse but its still a slow thing. how many female auto mechanics are there? hopefully the release of catwoman will make add some social change...but thats another, albeit related, story....

[fritzcarraldo]

Well, in cinema in general isn't very common to see women directing, or filming, i see much more women on photography. The moving-image and all that comes with, might not be so easier to deal with for them.

Even tough, in any other "position", like acting, editing, controling etc. They are much more common and in many areas (like editing) much effective than men.

I've met fantastic women photographers and editors

[kentbulza]

Agnes Varda is one of my favorite directors.

[DriveIn]

.....how many female auto mechanics are there?.....

Worked with a female auto mechanic for awhile, better coworker than the males of the crew. She and the others in all the different locations were out numbered 10 to 1 at least. Rest of the male crew wasted their time verbally beating their chests, grunting obcenities, making rude noises, and generally being jerks to each other. Glad I don't wrench for a living and that's way in the past.

[nasq]

AC = Assistant camera, usually 1st AC pulls focus and keeps everything clean. 2nd AC loads the camera, or sometimes there's a seperate loader. Depends on the production's scale and country

[TomFoolery]

[moviemat]

Hi,

Belated reply to Freyas question (sorry don't know how to use quotes). Cos I've been doing work with long hours and not getting to the computer. Not able to do anything. But when I get paid I can get the film processed I bought when I last worked. yippee.

Trying not to bore anyone here's how the story goes.

Me and my friend moved to Newcastle a after graduating from Edinburgh, which has great film going opportunities, and couldn't find any way to see decent films so we thought we'd start a film club, which evolved into a cinema because our members weren't very pro-active. And I'd always made super8 films. We wanted to have filmmakers nights where we had people who made films for fun and we try to get people to make really quick stuff just for the night (because I usually hate glossy, funded, wanna be mainstream director's films). These are sucessful nights because everyone wants to see their mate's film. And then cos we were searching for increasingly obscure films to show and enjoy we got into the films of the old London Filmakers Coop. They did something called expanded cinema, which is filmmaking where the cinema set up is played with as well as film as a formal thing where the substance is investigated by using loads of effects and low-fi techniques and stuff. So we've run a couple of nights (1 a year for last 2 years) where we showed interesting films in interesting ways and do installations (and had a party). We also run group workshops-type sessions leading up to them.

Through all of this we have a small and not always very productive gang called the Film Bee (like sewing bees) and we meet in the pub and sometimes process film together or help one another on projects or just lend each other bits of kit. And I have been building a darkroom to print 16mm. It's all film - not because we're anti video but because film requires company more and mutual encouragement so it doesn't seem so daunting.
I think running a cinema does really make me more enthusiastic about using film though because it's such a shame that people have to get used to their stuff being for small screens we show video at the cinema sometimes but video projections saddly just don't look half as exciting as film.

The next event will hopefully be in December, don't know what the workshp will be, maybe we'll move on to colour or magstock sound or something. If anyone wants to get involved it would be great to widen it out. there are a couple of pages on our website (although it needs reorganising and some pages have dropped off somehow) http://www.sidecinema.com and then go to "past" and "expanded cineside"

I'll post up when there's another open submission night coming. we're thinking of doing a film-only one in the autumn.

have to go to sleep now.

Mat

[matt5791]

I think you find women seem to gravitate towards Stills rather than movie.

The photographer I have chosen for my wedding next year is female.

- I have specified:

1. No digital
2. Medium format for formal photographs
3. 35mm for informal shots

Matt